Hitching device.



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(Application Bled Dec. 4, 1900.)

(llo Model.)

A TTOHNE YS nire rares artnr trice,

PARKER MADISON BRAGUNIER, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

l-ll'l'Cl-lllNG DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 672,349, dated April16, 1901.

Application iiled December 4, 1900.` meral No. 38,667. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, PARKER MADISON BRA- GUNIEP., a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented a new and Improved l-Iitching Device, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a hitching device-for thedriving-reins of harness adapted for attachment to the cross-bar ofVehicle-shafts and to construct the single or double trees inpiVotally-connected sections, whereby when a driving-rein is secured tothe hitching device and the sections of the single or double tree arefree to move forward at their outer ends the traces will be slackenedand the draft of the vehicle will be through the` medium of the reins,thus tending to check the animal should he endeavor to start or runaway.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a means for locking thesections of the single or double ltree end to end and for releasing thesaid sections, so that they may turn on a suitable pivot.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed ontin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of shafts having the improvement applied,the singletree on the shafts being illustrated with its sections lockedtogether. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the rear portion of the shafts,illustrating the sections of the singletree as inclining in a forwarddirection. Fig. 3 is an inner face View of a portion of the cross-bar ofthe shafts and that portion of the singletree which is pivoted to thesaid cross-bar; and Fig. 4. is a detail perspective View of a slightmodification, illustrating the adaptation of the device to a doubletree.

A represents the shafts of a vehicle, B the cross-bar connecting thesaid shafts, and O a singletree. This singletree is made in two sections10 and 11, the section l1 at its inner end being usually provided with atongue 12,

which enters and is adapted to turn in a recess 13 in the correspondingend of the opthe singletree and into the cross-bar B. This pivot-bolt isprovided with a suitable guard- 15. A sleeve 16 is attached to thetongue 12 of the section 11 of the singletree and extends rearward anecessary distance, and to said sleeve a rack 17 is secured. A shaft Dis held to turn in the said sleeve and extends through to the forwardportion of the single tree, where the shaft is provided with a head 2lor its equivalent. When the shaft is turned so that the head extendslongitudinally of the tongue l2, the sections of the singletree may beswung outward and forward at their outer ends; but the sections of thesingletree will be locked end to end when the head 21 is brought to anengagement with both sections of the singletree, as is shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, at which time the singletree O appears of the ordinarytype and is practically as strong.

A lever 19 is pivotcd on an extension 18 from the rear portion of theshaft D, and the foot portion of this lever is adapted to enter any oneof the notches in the rack 17. Usually the rack is pro vided with buttwo notches, so that the lever can be held either in a vertical positionor in an inclined position toward the left-hand shaft, as is shown inFig. 1. When the lever is in the vertical position stated, the head 21is in the position shown in positive lines, Fig. 3, enabling eachsection of the singletree to'turn on the pivot 14; but when the lever isin the inclined position shown in Fig. 1 the head 21 will lock the twosections of the singletree together. The lever 19 is held in position toengage with the rack 17 by means of a suitable spring 20, and a spring22, attached to the forward face of one "section of the singletree, hasbearing against the forward face of the opposing section, as shown inFig. 2. This spring 22 serves to restore the sections of the singletreeto their normal or straight position when the said sections are relievedfrom tension at their ends.

Two brackets 23 and 2e are secured to the upper face of the cross-bar B,one at each IOC) side of the center of the said bar, and these bracketsextend up at the rear of the singletree, limiting the rearwardmovement'of ther same. The right-hand bracket 23 is provided with aslotted extension 25, and the righthand d riving-rein 26 is passed through the slot of this extension to the rear and is prevented fromleaving the said extension by a clamp 27 being adjustably placed on thesaid rein, as shown in Fig. 1. This clamp 27is so placed on the reinthat when the rein is passed through the extension 25 and the clampengages with the rear face of the said extension the righthanddriving-rein 26 will be taut or under a slight tension. The driving-reinhaving been placed in the extension of the bracket 23, the lever 19 iscarried to a vertical position, unlocking the sections of thesingletree. Thus should a horse attempt to draw the vehicle forward thedraft will be directly from the rein 26 and the bracket 23, as thetraces 28 will become slackened to a greater or less degree, as theouter ends of the sections of the singletree will be drawn forward, andthe singletree will appear as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Preferably the traces 28 are provided with slots 29, and studs 30 on theends of the singletree are passed through the said slots. The traces areprevented from leaving the studs by placing' substantially U-shapedguards 31 at the ends of the singletree, which guards are pivoted to thetree in any suitable or approved manner.

When the team is double, the double tree D (shown in Fig. 4) is made insections, and the sections may be controlled in the same manner as hasbeen described with reference to the singletree; but the rein-holder 25ais in the form of a slotted plate and is located at the pivot 14, andone of both driving-reins are passed through the slot in the saidreinholder, so that both animals will be under control and will pull onthe lines from the pivot-point of the doubletree.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1.. In a hitching device a single or double treeconstructed in pivotally-connected sections, a locking device for thesections of the single or double tree, comprising a shaft having alocking-head, a lever attached to said shaft, and a locking device forthe lever.

2. In a bitching device, a Single or double tree constructed inpivotally-connected sections, a locking device for the sections of thesingle or double tree, comprising a shaft at one side of the pivotalconnection of the sections of the single or double tree, which shaft iscarried by one section and is provided With a locking member forengagement with the other section of the single or double tree, alocking-head for the shaft, a lever attached to the said shaft, and alocking device for the lever, substantially as described.

3. In a hitching device, the combination, with a draft-tree, of studslocated at the ends of the draft-tree, adapted to receive the traces ofa harness, and guards pivoted near the outer ends of the draft-tree,which guards are arranged to extend in loop form over the said studs andthe traces when the latter are located on the studs, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

PARKER MADISON BRAGUNIER.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL BUTOHER, PETER KLAUS.

